1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a screen device which is useful as a curtain, a blind, a screen, a partition and the like.
2. Description of the Related Art
As shielding or light control means such as a curtain and a blind, or as a screen or a partition, a screen device provided with various kinds of mechanisms has been conventionally developed, and has been put into practical use.
As such a screen device, the present applicant has developed a novel screen device, in which cloth, a sheet, or a net is freely folded and unfolded by pleating.
In the device, a screen 2 is interposed between a pair of screen installation frames 1 and 1, at least one of which can slide, in such a manner as to be contractable and expandable by pleating, and further, the screen 2 can be opened and closed by a sliding motion of the screen installation frame 1, as shown in, for example, FIG. 16. In the device, the independence of the screen 2 can be maintained by a wire stretched across the screen installation frames 1 and 1.
The screen device includes an upper guide frame 3 serving as a member for guiding the sliding motion of the screen installation frame 1, and further, the upper guide frame 3 covers the upper end section of the screen installation frame 1.
Additionally, the present applicant has developed and put into practical use a screen device, in which a screen can be more smoothly opened or closed with stability.
As shown in FIGS. 17 and 18, in the device, the upper guide frame 3 covers the upper end section of the screen installation frame 1, so as to guide the sliding motion of the screen installation frame 1. In the meantime, a slide guide frame 5 is additionally provided. The slide guide frame 5 is fixed at one end thereof to either one of the screen installation frames 1, and further, is bent at the other end thereof to be freely inserted into the other screen installation frame 1. The slide guide frame 5 may be constituted of a so-called caterpillar, in which rigid units 6, each having, for example, a side wall 6a and a bridge 6b, are disposed continuously to each other. The lower slide guide frame 5 can slide along a rail 7. The slide guide frame 5 formed by continuously disposing the rigid units 6 has bendability and rigidity, thereby smoothly opening and closing the screen 2 with stability.